That of course has nothing to do with the soup being good, but just the same.

The evil that men do lives after them.
The good is oft interréd with their bones.
~WS

Cloves are potent and should be used sparingly. Because whole cloves are difficlult to grind, it’s suggested that you buy them ground. Reserve whole cloves for infusing flavor into hot liquids or for inserting into ham/bread.

That being said, I’m alive.  But I don’t know for how long.

Ugh.

• It’s very easy to spend a lot of money on chocolate.
• Pretty girl chocolatiers will give you free chocolate if you flirt with them.
• They sell waffles everywhere.  Even in the subway.
• It’s entirely too easy to accidently ride the subway for free.
• I don’t know French or Dutch, and it’s a problem.
• People here speak Freutcish, and it’s also a problem. (French-Dutch-English)
• Internet is very expensive and very slow.
• It rains a lot.
• The drivers in Belgium are far far worse than anything I’ve ever seen in the US.  With one exception, everyone can park straight here.
• The roads were designed by a drunk Scotsman.
• The dollar is very very weak against the euro.
• Soda without corn syrup is fantastic. (not new, just restating)
• Soda is very expensive.
• Beer is very cheap.  And strong.
• People protest everything in Brussels.  And they’re creative about it too.  Don’t like the tax on tomatoes?  Farmer Joe brings his tomatoes to the street outside Parliament and throws them at birds roosting on the building.  Picket signs are old news.
• A child saved the city by taking a piss and now they have statues of him everywhere.
• It rains a lot.

• BZP
• Orange Beef
• Savory Macaroni

New interface, new version of WordPress.  Added some recipes to the side menu.  Still trying to decide where to put the penguins in this one.  Let me know if you have ideas.

Don’t normally use this for life/personal things, but thought some sort of an update was in order.  Overall doing pretty well at the moment.

• Job: Good (read: pays the bills, possibility for advancement, resume building if nothing else)
• Rescue Squad: Good (read: almost done with EMT class, still having fun, still learning, still making a difference)
• Living Situation: Improving (read: friend buying a house soon,  probably move in with him, kitchen I can use!)
• Family: Good (read: all in good health, even the crazy ones, Mom going in for surgery in a few weeks, kinda a big deal, but everyone is optimistic.)
• Social Life: Improving (read: still have little time for breathing, let alone spending time with friends etc, but recent events lead me to believe that this is also looking up.)
• Personal Health: Improving (read: overall I’m pretty healthy, but can always do better. Have cut soda pretty much completely out of my diet, only one or two cans a week. those that know me realize how impressive that is.  Started up with a decent workout program that I’m pretty sure I can stick to (yey kettlebells!) and just had a healthy visit to the doctor/dentist.)

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 stalks celery, chopped (1 package)
• 3 carrots, peeled, chopped (or 1 package of baby carrots, 1lb)
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 3 (14-ounce) can low-salt/fat chicken broth
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 5 chicken breasts with ribs (~ 4 or 5 pounds total)
• 1 cup corn starch
• 2 (15-ounce) cans beans, rinsed. Any kind; 1 can of black and 1 can of white work well together.
• Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Season to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaves, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5-10 minutes. Add the beans and starch to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season to taste.

Serves: 12-15
Serving suggestion: over brown rice.

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 quart light cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup brandy
• 1.5 cups bourbon or spiced rum
• freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation:

1. In large bowl, beat eggs until they are a pale yellow and slightly frothy.
2. Add sugar, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir until well blended.
3. Add brandy and bourbon/rum (or milk, see below) and stir.
4. Transfer to large pitcher and chill until cold, at least 3 hours.
5. Serve with sprinkle of nutmeg.

This makes a gallon, give or take. If you’d rather make it without the alcohol, replace it with 2.5 cups of milk (whole or 2% works best). Either way, it won’t be healthy, but it’s good!